Brokerib
Lone Wolves Club
174
   |
Posted - 2014.01.06 02:08:00 -
[1] - Quote
This is a continuation of posts made here
The RPG Effect
and here
Punching above your weight
with tips and info for new players.
This section fits in the medium term/spending SP guide in the Punching above your weight post, and gives general guidance on when and how to invest in dropsuits.
Medium term planning
Dropsuits
Dropsuits are the platform which everything else sits on, and are probably the single most important piece of equipment youGÇÖll choose. TheyGÇÖll also represent the single largest investment of SP youGÇÖll make outside of the vehicles skill tree. As an example:
- A basic specialist dropsuit will cost you 329,580 SP (level 1 dropsuit command, level 3 racial medium dropsuit, level 1 specialist dropsuit)
- An advanced specialist dropsuit will cost 827,020 SP (as above, with level 3 specialist dropsuit)
- A proto specialist dropsuit will cost 2,767,180 SP (as above, with level 5 specialist dropsuit)
Racial variants GÇô
Racial variants are the first differentiator in the dropsuit skill tree, and allow you to specialise into light, medium or heavy dropsuits for a particular race.
ThereGÇÖs not really any good advice here. YouGÇÖll have to work out for yourself which race and type best suits you, based on weapon selection and playstyle. Light suits are faster and weaker and harder to spot, heavies are slower and stronger and can wield heavy weapons, while mediums are somewhere in between.
Two general rules.
Don't go past level 3 in any variant. They're effectively a gateway to the specialist suit options, and the SP are better spent on levelling the specialist dropsuit skill.
And don't chase the FOTM. Pick something you're happy with, because regardless of your choice, you can expect everything to change once the full range of racial suits has been releasedGǪ
The link below is a good overview of the different racial variants. Keep in mind it refers to the dropsuit and racial weapons, not the character wearing it. Anyone can use anything, so donGÇÖt restrict your self based on race.
https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=133682&find=unread
Specialist variants GÇô
Unusually, investing in specialist dropsuit variants (assault/logistics/scout/sentinel/commando) is actually worth it.
With the exception of the Commando, specialist dropsuits are cheaper than the comparative racial model across all tiers (basic, advanced and proto). In addition to costing less to run, they also provide suit specific bonuses that range from godly to mildly useful to pointless.
Regardless, at least one of the two suit specific bonuses for each specialist variant will make it objectively better than the basic racial model, and it will also mean that intermediate skill tiers (levels 2 and 4) also have some benefit.
As mentioned above, your mileage will vary based on weapons of choice and playstyle. Do some research, ask questions in the forums, and make sure you know what you want before you start investing.
Proto dropsuits -
Proto suits are a massive waste of time and SP. Do not look at getting any suit to proto until you have core skills, modules and weapon up to the proto level.
The benefit of proto suits is the number and quality of modules they can fit. All other stats (base health, speed, shield regen, etc) are exactly the same at the militia level as they are at proto. So if you donGÇÖt have the modules and equipment to back them up, they are no better than a militia suit.
Proto dropsuit skill should be the last thing you look at getting. Otherwise youGÇÖre just going to leave a pretty (and expensive) corpse.
If you desperately need to go proto, then farm FW instead, and you can pick up a proto suit that only requires an advanced level investment of SP, and doesnGÇÖt cost 50k+ a pop.
Simple rules for dropsuits
- Do not start investing in dropsuits until you have core skills and modules to at least level 3
- Do not go past Level 3 in Dropsuit Command, it provides absolutely no benefit
- Do not go past level 3 in any of the racial variants (Amarr Heavy, Minmatar Light, etc), racial variants are a gateway to specialist suits
- Do invest in racial specialist suits, the SP cost is significant, but theyGÇÖre worth it
- Do make sure you know which suit best compliments your playstyle before you start to spend SP
|